Train Cars
A Beginners Guide to Model Trains
This is a general overview of what the Model Train hobby is and what it entails. In a effort not to discourage new beginners to this ever expanding pastime, this article will not be too technical yet designed to catch your interest.
The first thing that any model train hobbyist should know is about scale, and gauge. Scale refers to the actual size of the train engine, cars, and accessories.
They can be small enough to easily fit on a office desk top, or large enough for a garden railway. Scale is also referred to in letter form.
For example, 'G' Scale Train models are 1:24 scale, which means it is just one twenty-fourth the size of a real locomotive. These are often found with train hobbyists who lay out their model trains in a back yard setting, such as interwoven through gardens, and other landscaping.
The 'Z' scale is a mere 1:220, meaning it is 220 times smaller than a real train. As mentioned earlier, this size is ideal for a desk top lay out, but it is so small in size that they are difficult to work with, and are not in wide use.
The next part about model trains is gauge. While this is often confused with scale by many beginners, it is NOT the same as scale, and mixing up the two will definitely anger experienced train buffs.
What gauge measures is the distance between the trail track rails. For a simple example, if you have a 9gauge train track, this means that there is nine millimeters of space between the inside of the rails.
In this case, the bigger the gauge, the bigger the space. Now while this may seem confusing, don't worry.
HO scale is 1:87, and is ideal for many new beginners, as well as many other hobbyists. It is small enough to fit well with many different layouts, yet big enough for the average person to handle, and they show well.
This is the most commonly used scale in the model train world not only because of its versatility, but also because parts and accessories are easy to find. This brings us to layouts and accessories.
Having model trains would be really boring if all it entailed was a train engine moving along a track. That is why a model train can include many different train cars, Passenger Cars, hoppers, and tank containers, just to name a few.
Then there are all the layout accessories, trestles, miniature people and vehicles, as well as buildings and scenery. The possibilities are really only limited to your imagination.
You can even create your own landscaping ideas, with plastic plants torn apart for trees, shrubs, and other plants. You could also use old cleaned out tin cans, painted, for things like grain silos, or oil refinery tanks.
There are many basic sets a beginner can buy, with all things to start your hobby. You can find many of these on websites, or you could also start at your local hobby shop.
A retailer can not only offer many different ideas, but can also answer many if not all of your questions. Hopefully you will want to know more information about model trains, and you can find many example layouts online for creative ideas.
About the Author
Clint Spille is a model trains enthusiast who enjoys blogging about the World's Greatest Hobby. Stop by his blog where you can read his many articles on the model railroading hobby or watch the videos he provides on topics such as model train scale, n Scale Model trains and much more!
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How many people need to be on a train to make it more efficient than them driving in seperate cars?
How many people would need to be on a train (including the driver if you like) to make it more efficient i.t.o of carbon emmisions than them driving in seperate cars over an arbitary length of say one or two hundred miles?
A similair comparison for a bus would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance.
Using information from marketing material from Virgin Trains (UK company) for its Class 390 Virgin Pendolino trains, this is a modern electric train. I am using the data from a 296.5km from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly.
It would appear that a car would emit 27.45kg (to get exact data for your car you should visit http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk - VCA Car Fuel Data this calculation would be based on a small car with engine under 1.4lt) of carbon dioxide.
A Class 390 Virgin Pendolino train would emit 1806kg of Co2 for the same journey. With 439 seats, with an average fill capacity of 51% or 224 people.
The train emissions should equal approximately 66 cars. So for each passenger driving in separate cars this would be 66. However the average for each car journey is 1.56 passengers, so the Virgin Pendolino would need to have a minimum of 103 passengers to ensure that it was more efficient than the equivalent car.
The only figure I could find for bus emissions was 23g/ppkm when a bus was full (from the Department for Transport Canada). Thus this would equate to 375kg of Co2 for a 55 seater bus. But on average each bus has 16 persons per km.
The bus emissions should equal approximately 14 cars. So for each passenger driving in separate cars this would be 14. Using the average for each car journey as 1.56 passengers, the bus would need to have a minimum of 22 passengers to ensure that it was more efficient than the equivalent cars.
Notes:
These figures only take into account the direct emissions from fuel consumption. There will be indirect Co2 emissions in developing the vehicle and its infrastructure which are not included.
The car used in this assumption is a small car with an engine size of 1.4lit or smaller. Less efficient cars would make the bus and train more efficient, and less efficient buses and trains would make the car more efficient.
I hope this information has been of help
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